You could also serve this on a fried-corn tortilla and all you'd need is a margarita to complete the meal.

I know what you're thinking: It's sad to eat a sandwich for dinner. Sandwiches are lunch food, meant to be scarfed down at your desk or on the go—not the kind of thing you turn to when you want nourishment after a long, hard day. But stop right there. Because this is not just any sandwich. This is a warm, creamy, salty, spicy filling...and also very attractive sandwich. Slathered with beans, piled high with squash, topped with crunchy cabbage and fresh cilantro. It is truly a dinner-worthy sandwich, and one that also happens to be very easy to make.

You start by turning your oven to 450°. While it’s preheating, take a large delicata squash (or butternut, or acorn, or hey, even sweet potatoes do the trick), cut it in half, and scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Cut those halves in half, lengthwise, then slice it into pieces about a half-inch thick.

Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li

Mixin'

Next, peel the shallots and cut those into half-inch pieces. Toss them, plus the squash, with 3 Tbsp. olive oil (I didn't measure the olive oil, just let a few glugs in) and 2 tsp. chili powder in a big bowl. Get in there with your hands—it should all be covered. Definitely don't rub your eye like I came dangerously close to doing. Arrange them on a baking sheet, giving each piece some breathing room, and then stick in the oven. Roast until the squash is browned and tender, which should take about 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes will fly by because you'll be prepping all your other components.

Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li

BEANZ

Dump 3 more Tbsp. olive oil (again, I didn't measure exactly), 2 more tsp. chili powder, and your can of black beans into a skillet over medium-high heat. Let that come to a boil. Now is the fun part, just in case you weren’t having enough fun already: Smash the beans! It’s the end of a long day! Let it all out! A potato masher is great for this, but I couldn’t find mine, so I just used a wooden spoon and that worked well, too. Smash until there are no whole beans left, or until you feel like your stress has been relieved, and then let it hang out on the heat for another 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, in between cooking your squash and your beans, cut your head of cabbage in half, and then cut one of those halves in half again. Take one quarter of it and slice it thinly. In another bowl, mix the shredded cabbage with 2 Tbsp. pickled pepper brine. If you don't have pepper brine (which also means you'll have to forgo the pickled peppers on top), another vinegar will work well, like apple cider or red wine.

Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li

Pause cooking to Instagram this lovely scene.

I like my bread toasted, so I did that. Livin' free over here. Spread some of the bean mixture on top (this is an open-faced sandwich, remember), then the squash and shallots, cabbage, slices of avocado, pickled peppers (I used only a couple because I am still learning to embrace really spicy food), and finally some cilantro. Pick it up with your hands and eat it. Some of the pieces might fall off, but life is messy like that.

All of these toppings are so delicious together that they could top a fried corn tortilla, go on top of rice, or be combined with greens. The world is yours. Or at least dinner is.